As any of the more recent visitors may have noticed, the library is expecting a new demo baby in September. For anyone who hasn’t been in – yes, that means I’m pregnant, and due in a month!

Up until now the library services, drop in sessions and consultations have been running as normal, although in recent weeks I have provided myself with a chair! Obviously this will need to change soon to accommodate the new arrival and allow me some maternity leave. I will hopefully still be about at social parenting events during my leave but will not be in library mode! There are various changes that have been planned, and they will affect every library user in a different way, so please have a read through the plans for sling support in West Yorkshire in the months leading up to Christmas below.

In the mean time, I suggest every library visitor call or click before travelling, just on the off-chance Demo Baby decides to put in an early appearance or throw a complication at library services.

There will of course be an introduction when the baby arrives.

If anyone has any questions on library services during the period please don’t hesitate to call the library before August 23rd on 0113 2100855.

September

During the month of September, the West Yorkshire Sling Library will be CLOSED.  This means that the normal drop in sessions of 5^th, 12^th, 19^th and 26^th September will NOT take place, the carrying support help line and email service will not be available, carrier swap service will cease, and consultation or package appointments will be booked in for after the end of the month.

Carrying support during that time will be provided by other sling libraries in Yorkshire – Huddersfield, York, and Sheffield. Trained one to one consultations are offered by Yolanda Kenyon at Huddersfield and Mari Greenfield at Hebden Bridge. All the details of these providers are below, and available in hand out form in the library at the drop in sessions during August.

If you have a carrier due back during September, you will be able to return carriers during that time, but it will be drop-off or post only.

Alternatively, the library is offering reduced rental prices for the month of September, so you may choose to renew at a reduced rate.

Reduced carrier rental

To reflect the reduced services, WYSL is offering four week rentals for the price of two week rentals during the month of September.

If you have a carrier on loan already due back in the month of September you may call the library to renew that rental into Oct at the reduced rate, or return on schedule – carriers can be returned by drop off or recorded post during the month of September. Overdue carriers will be charged at normal rate when services resume in Oct.

If you take a carrier from the library on a 4 week rental between 8/8/12 and 14/8/12 inclusive:

These carriers would normally be due back between 5/9/12 and 11/9/12. The first four weeks will be charged at normal rate. You will be offered the chance on rental to extend these rentals at the reduced rate of £5, making them due back on 3/10/12. There is no obligation to do so, carriers can be returned by drop off or recorded post during the month of September.

If you take a carrier from the library on a four week rental between 15/8/12 and 21/8/12 inclusive:

These carriers would normally be due back between 12/9/12 and 18/9/12. The first four weeks will be charged at normal rate. You will be offered the chance on rental to extend these rentals at the reduced rate of £5, making them due back on 17/10/12. There is no obligation to do so, carriers can be returned by drop off or recorded post during the month of September.

If you take a carrier from the library on a four week rental between 22/8/12 and 28/8/12 inclusive:

These carriers would normally be due back between 19/9/12 and 25/9/12. The first four weeks will be charged at normal rate. You will be offered the chance on rental to extend these rentals at the reduced rate of £5, making them due back on 31/10/12. There is no obligation to do so, carriers can be returned by drop off or recorded post during the month of September.

If you take a carrier from the library on a four week rental on 29/8/12:

The rental will include up to an extra week free, making the carrier due back 3/10/12.

Two week rental periods

Two week rental periods will be unaffected by the above changes until 15/8/12, then become UNAVAILABLE from 16/8/12.

October

During October services will be reduced. The library will only be open to drop off, swap or support at these dedicated open times, which will be run by a team of library ‘guest supporters’. Should you wish to make a one to one consultation appointment these will be available from either Mari or Yolanda by appointment during the month of October.

Wednesday, October 3^rd – 10am-3pm

Wednesday, October 17^th – 10am-3pm

Wednesday, October 31^st – 10am-3pm

Full details on October openings and locations will be available before the end of August.

November and December

I will be back in the library on Weds, November 7^th 10am-3pm, and provisionally on a fortnightly basis until Christmas. One to one consultations with me will be available before and after library hours on library days. Services will continue from the other Yorkshire libraries and consultants throughout.

Local Sling Resources and Help

This information will be updated over the next few days to hopefully provide a picture of the sling help and support available in person, on the phone, and online. WYSL does not come with parenting ideals attached, the only criteria for use being your desire to use a sling or carrier for a day or a year! Having said that, some of these listed support groups are geared towards certain philosophies, yet all are welcoming and inclusive environments. In addition, those listed with a female slant are just as welcoming to all parents.

ATTACHED MAGAZINE – Yorkshire magazine for parents who trust their instincts, frequesnt local events and fairs including Natural Parenting Fair, St Margarets Church Hall, Horsforth, Leeds, Sat 8th September.

HUDDERSFIELD SLING LIBRARY Open the 2nd Weds of the month and the 4th Friday of the month at the Nightingale, Lindley and Active Bodies, Chapel St, Hudds. Run by Yolanda Kenyon, consultant offering one to one sessions in the area.

LEEDS ATTACHMENT PARENTING NETWORK – Group meets bi-monthly at St James’ Church Hall, Low Lane, Horsforth, Thursday mornings.

MARI GREENFIELD – Babywearing consultant offering consultations in the Leeds, Bradford and Calderdale areas, please call WYSL for further details.

NATURAL MAMAS FORUMS Online (forum) sling help and advice.

NATURAL MAMAS SLING CLINIC – Online (facebook) help from experienced sling users.

SHEFFIELD BABYWEARERS – bi-monthly meets, details on Facebook.

SHEFFIELD SLING LIBRARY – Library services in Sheffield running from September

SHEFFIELD SLINGS – Sling group with regular social events in Sheffield.

SLING GUIDE – By parents, for parents, online impartial guide to baby slings and soft carriers.

WEST YORKSHIRE ATTACHMENT AND NATURAL PARENTING NETWORK – AP network

YOLANDA KENYON – Babywearing consultant offering consultations in the Huddersfield area.

YORK SLING LIBRARY – Library services in York. Meeting alternate Monday mornings at St Lawrence’s Children’s Centre, Heslington Road.

There was a discussion in the library to-day which raised the ideas of what environment is ideal for a newborn baby – from the position in which their spines should ideally be supported, to the amount of time it is advisable to keep them carried, down to the idea of spoiling your new baby and allowing them to become clingy.

There are many wonderful articles available on the subject, many have been shard before but I’d like to link to a few of them here, with their conclusions and abstracts. Click on the links to read these articles in full.

– Strollers, Baby Carriers and Infant Stress by Elizabeth Antunovic (2010)

“Europe seems to host the most pediatricians who recommend that, in order to avoid pressure on their underdeveloped bodies, newborns and infants lay flat on their backs in a stroller and not be carried. Yet, laying a young infant on his back alone in a stroller is actually physically and emotionally stressful and can be developmentally inhibiting. Being carried or worn in an upright position with proper leg support is not only developmentally sound but often preferable to mothers and babies alike. Upright carrying optimizes the physical, emotional and intellectual growth of your baby.”

Laying babies flat on their backs in a stroller is actually not easier on their necks, spines, hips, or their minds. Nature intended for babies to be carried. Upright positioning with proper leg support is the preferable position for your infant and is gentle enough not to physically stress even tiny three pound babies. A mother should trust what her heart tells her heart. By holding baby close to her heart she will not only be choosing the most beneficial and physically supportive method of bringing baby along with her, she will be providing the optimal environment for his psychological and emotional growth as well.”

– The Second Nine Months: Exterogestation and the Need to be Held by Elizabeth Antunovic (2009)

“A joey stays in his pouch until his “exterior gestation” is complete and he is able to move away from his mother on his own. Like a joey, human infants are also born immature. In fact, human infants actually remain helpless longer than infants of any other species and like some marsupials must also go through a distinct period of gestation outside of the womb. Although birth may be seen as a separation of mother and infant, babies need anything but separation.  Nature intended that they be held on their mother’s bodies after birth until they complete their gestation out of the womb. This period of exterior gestation needs to be respected not just a sentimental matter but one that has a profound and major impact on an infant’s physical, emotional and psychological development.”

Science is reconfirming what the first mothers who stood upright knew intuitively- that her arms provide the optimal environment, after transition from womb to the world. Nature intended that a mother and her infant expect this unity and for that unity not to end at birth. Not only is a mother’s body is prepared and designed to continue the gestation of her baby after birth but her baby has biologically adapted to expect this for survival. Carrying a baby in arms or in a baby carrier provides this extended nurturing experience. By nurturing baby in a manner that represents the intimacy of pregnancy as closely as possible until this “exterior gestation” is complete the baby has access to all she needs to develop and grow physically, mentally, and emotionally into a secure and joyful individual.”

– Hip Healthy Positions by STEPS Hip health charity (2012)

“During pregnancy a baby spends a long time tucked in the foetal position, in which both hips and knees are bent or flexed. After birth, it takes several months for the joints to stretch out naturally. Babies that have been in the breech (bottom first) position may need even more time to stretch out naturally.

To promote healthy hips, the baby should be positioned so that the legs are able to bend up and out at the hips. This position allows for natural and proper development of the hip joints. The unhealthiest position for the hips during infancy is when the legs are held with the hips and knees straight and the legs brought together, which is the opposite of the foetal position. The risk to the hips is greater when this unhealthy position is maintained for a long time and could result in hip dysplasia”

– Crying for no Obvious Reason by Prof. Largo (2012)

“When we consider that the human infant has been carried around by its mother throughout the whole of human history, we must seriously ask ourselves, whether many children are able to manage in the first few months of their lives without constant physical contact with their mothers and other  familiar  adults.
Being left lying for hours as has been the custom with us since the beginning of industrialisation, i.e. for about 150 years, might have created a physiologically unnatural situation for the human infant which finds its expression in non-specific crying.  A recent study has shown, that repeated carrying for three hours per day leads to a considerable reduction of crying.”

– Storchenwiege Baby Carrier Research by Dr Kirkilionis

–  Babywearing’s Healthy Benefits: Beyond Hands Free

Carrying your baby upright on your chest…

1. Enhances immunological protection 

2. Prevents ear infections and eases the symptoms of GERD

3. Regulates body temperature

4. Enhances lactation, the prevalence, and the duration of breast-feeding

5. Enhances growth/weight gain

6. Supports arousal regulation

7. Reduces apnea and uneven breathing patterns 

8. Stabilizes heart rate

9. Relieves Stress Reactions

10. Improves neurobehavior

11. Increases oxygenation of the baby’s body.

12. Provides longer periods of restful sleep

13. Mimics the environment of the womb

14. Saves lives

I hope you enjoy reading around the subject!

The sling library enjoyed the trip to Shipley to the Happy BIRTHday event last weekend – many thanks to the organisers. It was lovely to see so many happy carried babies and be at the centre of all the slinging action!

There have been several carrier changes in the library recently with a couple of slings leaving and a couple arriving. There will be more news on this and an update of the website catalogue over the next week or so.

The library is currently attracting huge levels of local interest which is just wonderful, and from next week when my studies finish I will be able to give it more attention and try to upgrade the services available. There will be opportunities to get involved with and have your say in the structural and service changes in the next week or two. The library and carrier information service is something I would like every new parent in the region to be aware of, so that everyone can have the carrying help they need as and when they need it – whether they choose to carry their babies for a day, a year or a decade! I am working towards getting the word out there, and increasing the range and depth of the library alongside. Hopefully one day everyone can get exactly the carrier they want the day that they want it – until this is achieved I ask for a little patience, it can take time to increase the collection and tailor it to the specific needs of local parents.

Currently over two-thirds of the library stock is out on loan, which is a huge amount. It’s a lovely though to think of them all being used out and about in West Yorkshire.

The website updates should allow me to add some reviews of the WYSL service. If you have a review, of the consultancy or library services, whether you popped in once or merely called for advice – if you would like to add a review please type up a few lines and send them to airetauriel@yahoo.co.uk. It is much appreciated. I’d love to see how I’m doing!

To whet your appetites, here is the library’s newest addition, the Ergo Performance carrier in lime green. A wonderfully neat and tidy carrier with sleephood, pocket and countoured straps, it is suitable for use with children up to 45lb/20kg in weight, and fits adults with a height range of 5′ to 6’5. Its special ‘Ripstop’ outer layer makes it showerproof and wonderful for use outdoors, with a soft inner for your child. Many thanks to ErgoBaby.

A bit of news on the library opening times! I’m at home with my daughter who came home from school last week with chicken pox. Obviously we want to avoid passing this on to any library visitors, so please read below for the precautions in place this week.

As from to-day (Monday 26th March 2012) the library is open strictly by appointment only, until further notice.

Drop-in Wednesday will be open as usual, with the poxy child removed from the premises.

All the carriers remaining in the library are in the process of being washed, and when washed, sealed into plastic bags and stored away from living areas or contact with the poxy girl. They will remain so until she is declared fit!

All surfaces in the library will be washed with antibacterial solution before the library opens.

This will restrict consultation hours, there are two appointments available this week – Wednesday 9-10am or Wednesday 4-5pm, but unfortunately no others.

In other news, the library will be CLOSED between 22nd-28th April. This means that all carriers rented this week (between 26th-31st March) will receive an extra week for free.

Right, back to my wash station! If anyone has any questions please let me know.

The West Yorkshire Sling Library will have a stall at the Pampernatal Event on Sunday 11am-3pm. With free entry, the show is aimed at parents-to-be, new parents and families, and is aimed at helping parents with their health, physical and emotional wellbeing, for pregnancy, birth and beyond.

The library will be there chatting to parents about how carrying your baby can benefit both your health and that of your baby, as well as increasing opportunities for exercise and getting out and about.

Carrying your baby increases your core strength and can improve posture. It can enable breastfeeding, bottle nursing and skin to skin contact. Babies carried upright avoid skull issues, being seated well in a carrier helps to prevent hip and spine problems, and babies who are actively carried increase their own core strength, with sling time counting as ‘tummy time’. Carrying your baby allows you to go anywhere your feet can carry you – across rough terrain, snow and ice, over stiles – everywhere from out for a quick walk with the dog to halfway up a mountain should you so choose.

In addition to the WYSL travelling sling clinic, the event includes:

Each week in the library I direct parents to the wonderful world of sling and carrier videos on Youtube – there are millions, some good, some bad, and some hilarious! I have created a WYSL collection of the ones I most commonly recommend, so you can watch again at home in instant replay with your WYSL carrier.

Visit the new Baby Carrying Videos page under the Wy Sling? tab at the top of the page.

In other news, the Attached Natural Parenting Fair was a wonderful success, so lovely to see so many library carriers in one place and so many happy carried babies and toddlers. There has been a run on buckle carriers recently, far and away the most popular in the month of February – perhaps it is the weather and not wanting those long mei tai and wrap straps dangling in the mud and rain!

The Connecta Baby Carrier has been far and away the most popular choice after their recent relaunch, and I know that many of the library visitors have been disappointed by the difficulty of getting hold of one to try. In response, I have increased the Connecta quota in the library from seven to nine, and I’m working on getting hold of a couple more to fulfill demand. Generously, Connecta Baby Carrier have increased their discount offered to library customers, now offering 10% off through their website.

The two new Connectas added are another funky-fur Antelope:

And a glorious Connecta Integra Carnival:

We were also pleased to see Becky from Sa-be Baby Wear at the Attached Fair, who donated a Sa-be stretchy wrap for use in the library, reversible red to black.

We will be at the Attached Magazine Natural Parenting Fair on Saturday 18th February 10am-2pm,  at St Margaret’s Church Hall, Horsforth. The whole library will be there to try or take home with you, plus sling tips and advice for all. There will be a chance to win a WYSL rental AND a carrying consultation in the big raffle!

The fair boasts a vegetarian cafe, stalls from local companies and services, including Bohemian Babies -preloved wooden toys and sensory play, Baby Bum boutique and Panda Pants. Booby and the beads, Heart to Heart Connection, Trageschule UK, Babies can sign, Leeds Homeopaths, Baby Calm, Doula UK, Sabe baby wear, Yorkshire Storks Midwifery, Vivere Massage, Bambino Green, Beechtree Steiner Initiative, York Solar Power and many more! There will be free goody bags for the first 100 families, free taster sessions from many stalls, and Attached magazine will be on sale for a special Fair price.

Personally I’ll be pleased to welcome some volunteers from the newly set-up York Sling Library to help out with all your slinging and carrying needs. Consultation package vouchers will be available to buy on the day, an ideal new-baby gift!

Can’t wait to see you all there! It should be a very special event. And for those unfamiliar with the location, it’s near lots of shops and cafes, and opposite a very good play park, to make a day of it.

Attached website

Well, the calendar is creeping along and four weeks from now, the festivities will be in full swing! This will of course affect rentals over the festive period.

All carriers rented or renewed for a four week period between 25th November and 7th December inclusive will be due back on Wednesday, January 4th 2012.

That’s up to 12 days extra for free!

The library will close on Friday 23rd December and reopen on Tuesday 3rd January. Two week rentals will not be available from 8th December until the New Year.

In practice this means that the library will only physically be closed for one day – Wednesday 28th December.

So grab your party slings now, and Merry Christmas!

Unfortunately the WYSL has to close for drop-in help and advice tomorrow due to ill health. If your carrier is due back this week you are welcome to an extra seven day rental free of charge, so all carriers due back 12/10/11 will now be due back 19/10/11 and so on. Basic rentals, renewals and returns can be managed if necessary, I have nothing catching and will be at home but need to do as little as possible. Please contact me in the morning on 0113 2100855 if you wish to return or renew a carrier tomorrow. I apologise for any inconvenience and will hopefully be open next week as usual.